THE Sports Council for Wales has stepped in with a grant to fund the training of Welsh rugby referees in the wake of new procedures brought in following the Richard Vowles case.

Former international boxer Vowles broke his neck during a rugby match and successfully sued, on the grounds the referee had been negligent.

The outcome of that case resulted in a large number of junior games across Wales being cancelled at the end of last season because "unqualified referees" were reluctant to take up the whistle for fear of legal action should an accident happen.

Now the Welsh Rugby Union's insurers have ordered qualified referees officiate at all matches, leading to plans to train 880 before next March to Level One standard. Nearly 800 have already been trained, ensuring this season can start on time.

Graham Davies, the SCW's director of national development, said, "The Sports Council is committed to supporting sports volunteers in Wales. They encourage young people, and others, to take part in sport. We are almost entirely dependent on volunteers.

"We were concerned a number of junior fixtures had to be cancelled at the end of last season, so we looked at the best way to increase the number of qualified referees as soon as possible."

With the WRU being more than &#xA3;73m in debt and strapped for cash, the SCW agreed to fund the training programme to the tune of &#xA3;39,600.

Rob Yeman, Wales' new director of referees, who also expressed concern at the amount of abuse officials receive, said, "This is a boost for Welsh rugby.

"For many years recruitment and retention of referees has been one of our biggest problems. There was a lot of concern with the verdict in the Vowles case. But now we can ensure referees are covered by the WRU umbrella."